LSU-Health Battling Budget Crisis, No Layoffs Planned

LSU-Health is in budget crisis mode thanks to millions of dollars in federal Medicaid cuts. In fact the vice chancellor for clinical affairs Dr. Hugh Mighty held a news conference today to dispel rumors that the hospital is being sold.

Dr. Mighty says LSU-Health will continue taking care of patients, poor and wealthy. He says there are no plans to cut any jobs with the current fiscal budget that ends June 30th, 2013.

Our mission is to take care of patients of all kinds, both the poor indigent as well as people who are wealthy. We have unique services at the academic medical center within our community that makes us very responsive to our community and stewards of the health care within the community.

A group from LSU-Health recently visited the University of Maryland System to get ideas about how to operate an institution with public and private money.

LSU-Health is losing $46 million dollars in federal money, the cuts announced in July. Ever since, the institution has been seeking additional ways to come to up with the lost revenue.

"With our budget crisis, with our facing these budget cuts, our question has been how do we continue our mission? And in order to do that, not only here in Louisiana North, but as well down in New Orleans and in different parts of the state, the LSU hospitals have been charged by the Louisiana Board of Supervisors to find solutions to continue the mission."